About 430,000 Asians, or 36 percent of all new immigrants, arrived in the United States in 2010, according to the latest census data, the AP reported. That's compared to about 370,000, or 31 percent, who were Hispanic.

Nearly three-quarters, or 74 percent, of Asian-American adults were born abroad, Pew found. Of these, about half say they speak English very well and half say they don’t.

But their achievements are considerable:

"Asian Americans are the highest-income, best-educated and fastest-growing racial group in the United States," the study said. "They are more satisfied than the general public with their lives, finances and the direction of the country, and they place more value than other Americans do on marriage

They are also three times more likely than other immigrant cohorts to receive green-card sponsorship from employers than family, the study found.

Among those classified as "Asian," the largest cohort were Chinese (23.2 percent), followed by Filipinos (19.7 percent) and Indians (18.4 percent).